We are disappointed to see a free vote included in the Conservative Party manifesto. We hope that Conservative candidates who are returned as MPs and who have previously supported a repeal will reconsider their opinion and line up with the majority of the public in opposing a return of hunting with dogs.

A precedent has been set in the recent Brexit vote where Conservative ‘Remain’ campaigners are now fully behind the Prime Minister and support her efforts in negotiating the best Brexit deal for the United Kingdom. We hope that future Conservative MPs will get behind the 84 percent of the British public and support the Hunting Act 2004. We request that the general public contact their candidates now and ask them to vote against repeal, and represent the vast majority of public opinion when a vote is offered.

In the last parliament, Conservatives Against Fox Hunting- The Blue Fox Group, had received commitments from over 83 Conservative MPs to vote against any attempt to repeal the Hunting Act 2004 with a number of others stating they would abstain in any vote. The majority of Conservative MPs from the 2010, 2015 and hopefully the new intake in June of this year are and will be modern contemporary parliamentarians in touch with public opinion and the vast majority of the country who oppose any such repeal.

It should be noted by parliamentary candidates and all, that at its most generous estimate only 0.06 percent of the population participate in this pursuit (according to estimates taken from Burns report and population census ) whilst the most recent opinion polls show over 84 percent of the population, both rural and country, oppose any such return of hunting with dogs.

A leading spokesperson for the hunting lobby recent leaked email strips away the pretense that hunting is ‘wildlife management’ and that farmers need to use hunting ‘to control the fox population’ when he describes in that email the activity as “our sport”.

As for civil liberties. There is no liberty to be cruel.

Make no mistake this activity is for the pleasure of a tiny minority of clubs of people who like to chase an animal to its death. It is a ‘Blood Sport’ and nothing else.

We would encourage all Candidates to refuse the offer of support from the hunting lobby in leafleting and canvassing for their campaigns in return for support for repeal. Do not put yourselves in a position where you will be expected by the hunt lobby to support the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004 during the forthcoming parliament and find yourselves at odds with the clear majority of your future constituents who support the ban on hunting with dogs.